NETJETS US VOLUME 9 2019

clearing fences
in 2016, the GCL specifically serves to bond
riders from multiple countries in a year-long
battle of skills on horseback that guarantees
to excite crowds, bolster the sport and unite
equestrian enthusiasts everywhere.
Brazil’s Yuri Mansur is a member of the
Paris Panthers team alongside former World
No 1 Harrie Smolders of the Netherlands,
Egypt’s Nayel Nassar, Darragh Kenny
of Ireland, Belgian Olympian Gregory
Wathelet and America’s rising star Jennifer
Gates (see in conversation with, p82).
Mansur, who began competing in the GCL
in 2017 as a member of the Mexico Amigos,
joined the Paris Panthers last year at Gates’
invitation. “GCL is a door for a modern
sport. It is a new point of view for team
competition and adds lots of value to our
sport,” he says. “It is very rich and we always
learn with each other.”
Uniquely designed to magnify the talents
of each team, the GCL is carefully organised
to reward consistent success. A maximum of
20 teams, made up of four to six riders, must
designate two or three people to compete at
each show, beginning with the season opener
at Doha in February and ending at the final
in Prague in November.
“Ultimately, the more clear rounds we can
jump as a unit, the better off we all are,” says
Nassar, who has ridden with the Panthers for
three years and is currently ranked 37th in
the world. “Just like horses, though, no two
riders are ever the same, so even though we
certainly have distinct strengths, it would
be hard to pinpoint exactly what those may
be. Having an aligned set of goals makes it
easy for us to support one another. When one
of us has a good round, it inspires the rest to
follow suit in order to keep the team on the
lowest possible score.”
The teams themselves are built specifically
to combine experienced talent with up-andcoming
stars of the sport. A minimum of two
athletes must rank within the top 250 of the
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